Best Park In The Universe [Heavy Boat Games + Cartoon Network] - $2.99

One of our favorite beat-em-ups/brawlers here at The App Shack has got to be Grumpyface Studio’s Mutant Fridge Mayhem. Published by Cartoon Network, it contained the gameplay that previous beat-em-ups promised, but couldn’t deliver. This wasn’t too much of a surprise, as Grumpface’s previous releases (Bring Me Sandwiches!, Wispin and Super Mole Escape) are all top notch titles on the platform. But what Mutant Fridge Mayhem did for us was open our eyes to Adult Swim’s fledging gaming brother and since it’s release, we’ve been keeping a close eye on Cartoon Network’s releases. Earlier this week another brawler came out of the Cartoon Network studio and this time it’s developed by Heavy Boat Games (developers of quite a few Cartoon Network games; Ben 10 Hack, Pickle Farmer, Copa Toon Champions, Toxic Targets and many more, most of which can be played on Cartoon Network’s website - they're also the developers of Jumping Finn Turbo, available in the AppStore) and is set in the world of the popular Regular Show titled Best Park In The Universe. 

Mr. Maellard and Benson are called away to a Park Management Conference, leaving Mordecai and Rigby in charge of the park. Benson promises that if the park is clean when they return, everyone will get some days off. On the other hand, if they screw up, they’ll get fired. Deciding to impress Benson, Mordecai and Rigby call together the whole gang to upgrade the park. While they’re starting work, a strange man comes up and says that he has what it takes to turn the park into the best park in the Universe. Deciding to trust him, Mordecai and Rigby make the deal. Once they shake the stranger’s hand, a huge portal appears in the sky and ends up swallowing the entire park. Now it’s up to the two mischievous characters to save their friends, the park, and still show Benson and Mr. Maellard that they know what they’re doing. You’ll face off against aliens, monsters and strange park workers while you tag team between Mordecai and Rigby making your way through 15 stages spread across 3 crazy worlds. 

Similar to the recent release of another brawler, Combo Crew, Best Park In The Universe uses a series of swipe gestures instead of virtual controls. To move your characters, all you do is tap on the screen where you want to move to while attacks are based on swiping gestures that can be done anywhere on the screen. Swiping left has you attack left, while swiping right attacks right. To change characters, all you need to do is tap the character icons in the top left corner of the screen. Each character also has a special attack which can be used once your special meter is filled up, and is triggered by tapping two fingers on the screen at once. 

As you make your way through the game, you’ll gain experience by defeating enemies and picking up items that are scattered throughout the stages. Each time you level up, you’ll be given a point which you can use to upgrade your characters. The upgrades are a great addition and done in a branching tree format. Unlocking these upgrades will either increase your characters hit points, the amount of damage you can take, the amount of damage you dish out and add more attacks, allowing you to swipe up and down in the middle of a combo to pull off special moves. By the time you upgrade your characters completely, you’ll have quite a few different swipe combos at your disposal adding some depth and complexity to the gameplay. 

The first couple of stages are not very big, but as you progress, the levels do start to open up, with multiple paths to explore, and even though there is only one ‘right’ path to each stage’s exit point, it does help add to the variety within each stage. Also adding to the variety are the world’s backdrops. In the first world, you’ll be fighting your way through the park while the second world has you battling it out beneath the park and the third world is a station in space. Graphically, the game looks almost identical to the cartoon, and the animations are incredibly smooth and quick, complimenting the responsive controls. 

Although GameCenter is supported, there’s no scoring system, which means that there’s no leaderboards. However, there are 15 achievements to help to drive the game forward. However, unlike most brawlers the lack of leaderboards and a scoring system does not take anything away from the game. While it could help add to the replay value, that’s not the driving force behind the gameplay, which is actually kind of a refreshing change of pace. You’re not required to beat every single enemy in a level in order to progress, and you don’t have to visit every stages branched areas to complete them. It does add a more casual feeling to the game while the gameplay still provides a nice challenge for those who are willing to try and beat down every enemy and visit every area in a level. But I doubt many of us would complain if leaderboards and a scoring system were added in an update.

Priced at $2.99, it is a bit ‘high’ compared to other iOS titles, but the amount of polish and entertainment value presented in the game definitely justifies the extra buck or two. Not to mention more characters, another world with 5 more levels, endless levels and multiple modes are planned, we’re incredibly excited to see how this game grows with future updates. If you’re a fan of beat-em-ups/brawlers, don’t let the Cartoon Network publication make you overlook Best Park In The Universe. Alongside Mutant Fridge Mayhem and Combo Crew, it’s very quickly become one of our personal favorites on the platform, and we really can not recommend it more.

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Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin [Press Play + Microsoft] - $0.99

I’m constantly amazed at how many iOS games surprise me. I know I shouldn’t be, but there’s such a wide variety of titles available in the AppStore, and with the insane amount of games, it can be pretty hard to find a title that completely knocks your socks off sometimes. But, it does happen, and seems to happen at least a couple times a month. October started off very promising with the releases of Press Play’s Microsoft published title, Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin, a top-down arcadey action platformer. Originally released on Windows Phone, Tentacles has now found it’s second home in the AppStore.

In Tentacles, you’ll control Lemmy, a microscopic weird little creature created by the mad dolphin scientist, Professor Phluff while he was trying to create the cutest creature ever seen. Unfortunately, he created Lemmy, got upset, smashed his fists down on the table, and Lemmy wound up flying up into the air and landing in the Professor’s mouth. Now you’ll need to control Lemmy as he tries to fight his way out of the Professor, crawling through organs and eating the eyeballs out of the other strange creatures crossing his path. 

Tentacles contains 40 levels in the original purchase, but there’s also a continuation of the story available through IAP, adding another 16 stages to the game and taking you through Phluff’s dog, Strandog, with each stage having a possible 3 star ranking. To earn the three stars, you need to make it through the stage without dying, collect all of the orbs, including the ones that the enemies leave behind after you destroy them, and complete the challenge. There are two challenges in the game, one being a time challenge, requiring you to make it from one section of the level to another before time runs out. The other is a damage challenge, needing to make it through a certain area without taking any damage. You are able to take damage throughout the rest of the level and still be awarded with a 3 star ranking. If you can get all 3 stars in a level in one play through, the level on the level select screen will turn green. If you collect all 3 stars, but separately, needing to play through the level more than once to collect them all, the level will turn red. This does add quite a bit of replay value the game, especially if you’re a 100% completionist.

Making your way through each level, you’ll need to guide Lemmy by controlling his 3 tentacles and one claw. Tentacles are controlled by tapping on the screen where you want to move them to. Each tap moves one tentacle, so Lemmy’s movement can get pretty interesting, especially when attached to 3 separate locations. Using Lemmy’s claw is done in the same manor, by tapping on enemies you want to attack. Once you eat all eyes on an enemy, they’ll be destroyed and leave behind orbs which you’ll need to collect to get the orb star at the end of a level, but that also help to heal Lemmy. 

There are multiple areas in each level, some just making you follow along a path with spikes and other hazards on the sides, with groups of orbs scattered along the way. Other areas will have platforms for you to attach Lemmy to. There are quite a few hazards, and mixed in with the blood flow that you’ll sometimes have to work against, maneuvering around them can be pretty challenging. Some objects let you attach yourself to them for a short time before they explode, others rotate and go into the walls or push you into spikes, and there are some sections where the pathway you’re making your way through will contract and push spikes against you if you’re not careful. 

The scoring system in Tentacles is great, and it really is a shame that Microsoft has a policy that doesn’t allow for GameCenter integration, because the scoring system rewards speed and risk taking by adding 5, and eventually 10 points onto the base score for each orb that you collect in a short amount of time. The base score for an orb is 50 points. If you can collect a string of them, one after the other, each one after the first will go up in increments of 5. Once you get 100 points for an orb, the extra points double, giving you 10 for each extra orb, up until you reach 150 points per orb collected. With the great placement of most of the orbs, and possible quick strings you can collect, there’s loads of possibilities for high scoring, and always the potential to better your score. You’ll also loose points whenever Lemmy takes damage, adding even more to the challenge when playing for a high-score. There are in-game achievements, which do help add to the already high replay value, but there are gamers that would prefer them to be integrated with GameCenter. Basically, with no social gaming integration of any kind, the drive to play your best, or replay levels for better scores is pretty much non-existent. 

Graphically, Tentacles looks fantastic. The dark atmosphere and ambient music come together to create a wonderful world. Even with the bright, vibrant colors that can be found throughout the game, there’s always a darker undertone right under the surface. With the easy-to-use touch controls, all of it creates a very immersive game. The animations are also fantastic, with smooth movement for Lemmy, the hazards, blood flow and all of the enemies that you’ll come across. Even on older devices, the game runs great, with no drop in frame-rate or lag to speak of. 

Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin is Universal and priced at $0.99, with the second set of levels also available for an extra $0.99 it’s a great deal. If you’re willing to overlook the lack of online scoring, and the diminished drive to perform your best because of that, you’re in for a real treat. Press Play has done an outstanding job with Tentacles, and with their previous game, Max and the Magic Marker, they’re definitely a development studio worth keeping an eye on. Hopefully some sort of social score application can be added to the game. Even if it’s new, and players need to sign up for yet another social gaming platform, I believe that they will just to be able to compare scores, and have that added drive and challenge. Until then, that’s the only real thing holding Tentacles back.

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Black Water [Brisk Mobile] - $1.99

With so many first time developers hitting the AppStore lately, it’s always kinda nice seeing a new game from an already established development team. Not that I’ve got anything against new-comers, it’s just that when a new title from a company that’s put out more than a couple games in the past, you pretty much know what to expect when it comes to ‘will this game be updated’, ‘will it drop in price within it’s first week’, and of course, it’s polished and gameplay potential. Well, earlier this week, Brisk Mobile, developers of Battle For Cydonia, D-Star, Lasers, Drake’s Tower and Medieval, among others, just released the iPad exclusive, Line-Drawing Action Adventure game, Black Water. After witnessing the attack on Black Water’s sheriff, and running over to see if he’s still alive, he hands you his badge. It’s up to you to stop the attacks on Black Water and drive the bandits out of town. 

Now, Black Water can get very hectic, especially considering it’s a tap to shoot/draw a line to move type game. Each stage gives you a main objective, like stopping bandits from getting away after robbing a bank, saving the townsfolk who’ve been locked up in a church, drive away Indians from cattle lands, ect. There is also a secondary objective to complete after the initial objective, like clearing out the remaining bandits or Indians, finding a key to unlock the church doors, ect. 

As you make your way throughout the levels, enemies will spawn randomly, and come at you in waves. There are many different ways you can get rid of them, either taking them out one by one as they approach you, killing everyone once they come around objects, at close range, or you can run around a bit, trying to get a bunch of bandits in one spot, and then take them out with a shotgun, or TNT (which is done by drawing a circle on the screen where you want the TNT to land), or you can pick them off from long range using a riffle. This all depends on your style of gameplay, and the weapons the prefer, but it is nice having quite a few different ways to deal with the enemies.

While running around each stage, there are boxes and crates that you’ll be able to shoot which sometimes contain items that you can pick up, and enemies also randomly drop loot. These include health, ammo and currency. The scoring system is done pretty well, giving you score bonuses for taking out large groups of enemies, or one enemy after the other with combo bonuses. 

As stated, Black Water is another line drawing controlled game. However, unlike most of the other titles within the genre, Black Water does not contain virtual control schemes. This is basically a hit-n-miss when it comes to iOS gaming, as there are tons of gamers out there who prefer that the touch screen be utilized, and hate virtual controls, while others prefer to have iOS gaming feel more comfortable, having controls similar to joypads, and hate when games leave out virtual controls. It’s really just a matter of preference, but it could very well be the deciding factor as to whether or not many gamers will or will not enjoy Black Water. Now, you are able to double tap on the screen to constantly move in that general direction, but as this causes you to run into every object imaginable, it’s something that will most likely not be utilized by many players. I have had some issues with the line drawing occasionally not being responsive which, in a game that’s this full of action, can get to be pretty frustrating when it does happen, even though it’s not too often, it is something that could use some tweaking. 

Reloading is done by tapping the bullets at the bottom of the screen. If you choose to manually reload, it takes a lot less time to do so as opposed to having the game automatically reload for you once you empty your gun. This can get kind of frustrating, as a lot of the time, tapping on the bottom of the screen will, instead, have you fire in that direction which can cause you to take more damage by not reloading, and wind up taking away more time in order to do an auto-reload. It’s also pretty uncomfortable holding the iPad so that you are able to constantly tap the bottom of the screen, while tapping on enemies to shoot them, and draw lines to move, but if you’re someone who usually places your iPad down on a table or other flat surface while you play, this shouldn’t really be an issue. 

Starting off, you’re given a 5 shot pistol. As you progress throughout the game, you’ll be able to collect coins which you can use to purchase more guns. Going through the game, you’ll meet townsfolk who can make certain types of weapons for you, and once you do, those types of weapons will be unlocked, and available for purchase in the shop. For anyone wondering, yes, Black Water does have an IAP system, which you can use to purchase coins and stars for guns, and upgrading. 

Upgrading is done with the stars that you’ll earn in each stage. With each stage having a possible 3 star ranking, leveling up is something  you’ll continually need to do if you don’t want to get too overwhelmed as you progress. There are 3 different skill trees, Attack, Defense and Support, with each skill needing a certain number of skill upgrades above it to be purchased before it’ll become available. The Attack Skills upgrade aspects like walking speed, reloading speed, TNT blast radius, critical hit odds and more, while Defense Skills let you take less damage, give you a chance to deflect damage back to enemies, regaining life when you deal damage, and so on. The Support Skills are probably the last skills you’ll really want to focus on, giving you the ability to collect items from a distance, increase the points you earn from kills, increase the number of bullets you pick up, ect. 

The graphics are decent enough, though kind of cartoony, they do provide a well crafted environment, feeling like a more casual version of Gun when it comes to the atmosphere. The comic strip parts are where the game’s graphics shine, with some nice artwork to be found in these segments. The animations are well done, and the game runs very smooth. The soundtrack also helps to create a nice old western feel, though with the control issues, the game isn’t really as immersive as I’d hoped it’d be. 

GameCenter support is included with 26 achievements, but no leaderboards. With the great combo driven scoring system, I was pretty surprised to find this out, as it’s something that would have definitely added some replay value to the game. As it is now, getting 3 stars is not hard at all, so there’s hardly any reason to go back and re-play levels. Hopefully leaderboards for each ‘world’ will be added in the future. 

Originally priced at $1.99, and on sale at the moment for $0.99, if you’re a fan of western or line-drawing action/adventure games, it’s definitely worth picking up, and actually, with the content and gameplay, even with the issues I’ve had with the controls, I’m surprised that Black Water isn’t priced higher. Brisk Mobile has done a very nice job creating one of the best Western Themed iOS games to date, and if the controls do get tweaked, it’ll be a pretty immersive game on top of that. Since they’ve already updated the game, fixing an issue with the first Bank level looping and becoming endless, it’s pretty clear that the developers are listening to feedback, and willing to, very quickly, fix issues. Now I’ve just gotta get my hands on that minigun, and I’ll be set!

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Review Rewind: Explodables

Today, we're revisiting two titles that have been extremely entertaining over the last year. Our first one? Explodables developed by Bonpeach. Explodables is a fantastic tap-based score-chasing arcade title that has you blowing up rockets in a 3-color order that changes each level. It might not sound too impressive on paper, but throw in bonuses, health, crown, coin and star pickups, as well as multipliers that you need to drag next to each exploding rocket in order to activate it and multiple environments in each stage, and you've got yourself one hectic and action filled, incredibly addictive, score chaser. Since it's release, Explodables has received 14 updates, each tweaking, and making the game even better, whether it be completely re-designing the tutorial and enhancing the graphics, or improving the performance and altering required level scores, Bonpeach has definitely made Explodables a great iOS arcade title. Still one that I feel will NEVER be removed from my iDevice. 

**Note: This review was written after playing Version 1.0

--Click Here to check out the original review--

Explodables is a new tap/arcade game from Bonpeach. Throughout the game you’ll go through levels, which are more like challenges, to complete the game. There’s also a Blitz Mode, which gives you about a minute to score as many points as you can. There’s red, blue, green, and white rockets, white rockets are wild, and can be any color you need them to be. The screen is broken up into 3 sections, blue on the bottom, green in the middle, and red on top, and you’ll always have a set color order that results in a combo. You can tap on the rockets anywhere on the screen, but you only get the massive point combos when you tap the rockets in their respective color sections, blue on the bottom, green in the middle, and red on top. If you miss a color, then the combo re-sets, and you’ll need to make the color combo again. 

Through the levels, you’re usually given a set score to try and hit, but there’s also levels that challenge you to get 3 crowns, which are given off when you make a combo and get a multiplier circle, which you can then move around the screen. Placing this multiplier circle in the color sections that you need to pull off the combo gives you mega points, and moving it to follow the combo gives you crowns. For instance, if the color combo given to you at the beginning of the stage is red, green, blue, then you’ll need to tap a red rocket in the red section, a green rocket in the green section, and a blue rocket in the blue section, then a multiplier circle will appear, you’ll tap on it, and then move it up to the red section, tap a red rocket, move it to the green section, tap a green rocket, then move it to the blue section, and tap a blue rocket, then 3 crowns will appear. These crowns are the best way to get huge scores, and collecting 6 of them puts you into a bonus stage.

There’s also coins to collect, which you can spend in the upgrade and bonus shops, upgrading the amount of time before a combo chain is lost, the amount of time a bonus multiplier is available, or make it so that stars can be used to help complete combo chains. In the bonus shop, you can purchase a bonus multiplier that starts at the beginning of each level, make multipliers increase in value, or decrease the number of stars needed for bonus multipliers. Hearts are also available and appear when you tap on 5 or 6 of the same colored rockets in a row, and quickly. Collecting 4 of these puts you into a different bonus stage. Also, each time you get a heart, a crowd appears, doubling the score for each rocket you tap while they’re cheering.

All of this might sound confusing, and it kind of is, but the learning curve is great, and you’ll get to experience everything one step at a time going through the levels. Blitz Mode is unlocked once you hit level 20 or so, I can’t really remember when I unlocked it, but it’s before you finish the rookie levels. 

The graphics in Explodables are awesome. Very colorful, and stand out on retina supported devices. The movement and animations are smooth and very well done, and the music and effects go along very well with the game. There is a graphics option in the menu which lets you turn the graphics down if you’re experiencing lag, but I haven’t had any problems with jitteriness or any crashing at all. The tap controls are very responsive and accurate as well.

Explodables really is a top notch high scoring game, with GameCenter leaderboards for Blitz Mode and Levels 31 through 45. There’s also 45 achievements, all adding to the extremely high replay value of the game. Bonpeach has shown that they know exactly what it takes to make a professional, extremely polished arcade game for the iOS, and at only $0.99, Explodables is a great buy. Anyone who’s into high-scoring games with great scoring systems, and hectic gameplay should definitely check this out. I know it’s going to be on my iPod until it breaks, and I’m glued to Bonpeach, eagerly awaiting updates for this, and seeing what awesome game they come up with next.

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Review Rewind: ChocoRun

ChocoRun holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first games that I got into so much that I started talking to the developer, Alejandro, on a semi-regular basis. I also felt the need to tell everyone in the world about how great this Super Meat Boy-esque, tough-as-nails platformer was. Since its release it's gone through a major graphical overhaul, and received an easy difficulty mode, as well as other tweaks and additions. It's also been ripped off a couple of time by unscrupulous developers. I've also received a special Chocoplushe, hand-made by the developer, and reserved for players who managed to complete the game. Anyway, more than a year later, and ChocoRun can still be found on both my iPod and my iPad. It's one of the toughest platformers around, has some awesome level design and is a blast to play. If you missed out on it the first time around, or just didn't happen to hear about it until now, it's definitely a game platformer fans do NOT want to miss out on. 

**Note: This review was written after playing Version 2.0.

--Click Here to check out the original review--

Super Meat Boy is one of my favorite platformers of all time, so with the clones hitting the AppStore lately, you’d think I’d be a pretty happy camper. But not really. For the most part, there’s filled with horrible controls and floaty physics. But when I first saw ChocoRun, I couldn’t help but get excited. The original build of the game was awesome, and the one touch control to jump worked perfectly. Now, ChocoRun has been totally re-vamped in a new graphical style, has more levels, and an added Easy Mode, as well as unlockable characters. So what better time to review it then now?

This platformer from Alejandro Jimenez Vilarroya hit the AppStore about two months ago, and proved that it was the SMB clone for the iOS that everyone needed to get. Top notch level design, along with great physics, easy, but precise one touch charge and jump controls, and clean graphics helped spur an instant fan following. Over the last two months Alejandro teamed up with a new graphics designer, and the flashy new update has hit iOS devices around the world, and the graphics in the updated version of ChocoRun are awesome. There has been increased detail in the objects and platforms that were already in the game, and the backgrounds were completely enhanced to fit the new graphical style. Also, being retina supported and Universal gives us the opportunity to see all these graphical updates in HD, the way they were meant to be seen. The animations are outstanding, each and every razor blade looks amazing while it’s spinning or flying through the air right at your cute little head. Choco now spins while jumping in the air as well, which also adds to the great look and feel of the game. 

The controls work like they always did, press anywhere on the screen to charge your jump, and let go to perform the jump, hold on the screen while in the air, and let go when you touch a wall in order to wall jump, but now we’ve been given a charge meter that circles Choco while you’re pressing on the screen, letting you know how high and far he’ll go when you let go. This addition helps immensely with being able to pull off those tougher jumps and more tricky areas. The game is still just as frustrating as it ever was though. The death counter at the main menu keeps track of how many times you’ve died while playing the game. Right now, my counter is at 3,342, so you can expect to see your character explode from hitting spikes or razor blades quite a bit. But with unlimited lives, you can also expect to always want to play just one more life, and then realize that an hour has passed.

Level designs in the new update are just as great as the previous build’s levels, maybe even better, and more thought out. It’s very clear that loads of beta testing has gone on, and that each level was tweaked and edited to make them all just right. The game now has 50 great levels, which will keep you busy for weeks. Another great addition to the update is the new Easy Mode. Choco is given 3 lives to waste in each level before re-starting here, along with a cute little pink bow. If you’re having a hard time unlocking the next set of levels, Easy Mode is always there to help out. 

So, with all this said, ChocoRun is definitely one of my favorite iOS platformers, and very easily the best Super Meat Boy clone in the AppStore. With The original SMB developers saying that they wouldn’t port SMB to the iOS device because the virtual controls wouldn’t work, Alejandro Vilarroya has given us a Super Meat Boy clone, not with virtual controls, but with controls that work extremely well on a touch screen. It’s highly recommended to all platformer fans, as well as fans of very frustrating and difficult games. This one will keep you glued to your iPod screen, as well as screaming and banging your head against the wall. For $0.99, it’s a great deal. 

**ChocoRun is still priced at $0.99

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One Tap Hero [Coconut Island Studio + Chillingo] - $0.99

Chillingo. Just saying the word brings hundreds of games to mind. They’ve ranged from casual to hardcore, puzzlers to action, adventure to arcade titles, they’ve basically released something for everyone, and I still find myself being surprised fairly often by the games they shove into the AppStore’s virtual shelves. Case and point? One Tap Hero, the new Puzzle Platformer from Coconut Island Studios (developers of the physics puzzler, Finger Balance and the score-chasing toilet paper dragging game, iDrag Paper).

I should say that I know there are some gamers out there, platformer fans,  who are worried about a ‘one tap plat former’ - but with games like ChocoRun, Wind-up Knight, 1-Bit Ninja, the newer titles Bitless and Sunshine, and the onslaught of Endless Runners with platforming elements that have made their way onto the iDevice, I was pretty excited to check out another addition to the genre. Knowing that like-minded titles can range from fairly easy with simple level designs to hardcore with crazy level designs and enemies/hazards everywhere, I wasn’t sure what to really expect, but I knew right away that it had the potential to be a great game. Even then, I was still surprised while making my way through the game.

One Tap Hero is the story of a little ghost looking creature who’s, in a way, chasing after his abducted girlfriend. While out in a field one day, a wizard appeared, turned his girlfriend into a zombie like teddy bear, and now, as you collect stars from each of the levels, you’re slowly turning your sweetheart back into the normal cutesy little creature she use to be. 

As the name suggests, One Tap Hero is controlled by tapping an action button. That’s right, everything in the game is controlled this way; jumping, climbing ladders, switching levers, stopping at certain spots and more. Your character constantly moves throughout the level, bouncing off of walls, while you try and collect all 3 stars in a level, and make it to your girlfriend. The amount of different things your character could do with just one tap actually kind of threw me off guard, but with some great level designs, and well thought out gameplay, it never got too cluttered up, wanting your character to do one thing, but having him doing another was something that just does not happen throughout the game. 

One Tap Hero’s Story Mode contains 4 separate environments, each offering up new mechanics and atmospheres, and having 20 stages, along with 5 bonus levels which can be unlocked by collecting hard to snag keys throughout some of the stages. Each level has a possible 3 star ranking, along with coins which you can try and collect, which adds to your total score, as well as another challenge to try and master. You can also spend your coins in the game’s shop, which lets you purchase different outfits, keys to unlock bonus levels, and bombs which you can use to take out the ninja enemies later on in the game. Also, these days, almost every time you see a shop in a game, you can bet there’s going to be IAPs, and there are; 1,500 coins for $0.99, 5,000 for $1.99, 15,000 for $2.99, 30,000 for $3.99 and each bomb costs $0.99, but you don’t NEED to purchase anything extra to enjoy and complete the game. 

The graphics and animations do a great job of helping to draw you into the world of One Tap Hero. Levels are placed on top of various backdrops, and I will admit, as much as I love retro graphics, it’s nice when a platformer strays away from this. The animations are nice and smooth, and do a great job of keeping players immersed in the game. Completing this is a wonderful relaxing soundtrack, matching the gameplay and environments perfectly, and complimenting the atmosphere quite a bit. 

Coconut Island has also done a fantastic job with the level designs. Even though the games difficulty isn’t really up there on the charts, that doesn’t mean that the levels are simplistic by any means. With perfectly placed pits, platforms, stars, coins and hazards, alongside levers that move entire sections of stages, spikes, rotating worlds and more, it’s very clear that a crazy amount of time has gone into the level designs, especially later on in the game. 

GameCenter integration adds the final touches, with 4 leaderboards, one for the total score of each world and 43 achievements, there’s enough content and replay value to keep gamers busy for a while. Priced at $0.99 and being Universal, One Tap Hero is another great Chillingo publication. Coconut Island has done a great job with just about every single aspect of the game, and compared to their previous titles, it‘s clear that they‘ve learned quite a bit in their so-far short developing life-cycle. Though, it would be nice if there was more of a challenge, and the constant back and forth with the difficulty levels as you progress through the game would have been much better as a constant upward climb in difficulty. Power-ups would have also been a great inclusion, especially later on when the enemies make an appearance. But even so, One Tap Hero is another great addition to the Single Tap Platformer genre, and one that casual as well as hardcore gamers can enjoy. Now let’s just hope that this Chillingo game will be updated and that ’Coming Soon’ world actually does come soon. 

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Flip's Escape [Shaun Inman] - $0.99

One of the AppStore’s most addictive, and incredibly awesome puzzle platformers has got to be Shaun Inman’s The Last Rocket. With it’s great retro graphics, simple one-touch tap/swipe/hold controls, and fantastic gameplay filled with style, it’s one iOS game that everyone should own. Fans of the game will be happy to hear that Flip the rocket is back, in an all new game, Flip’s Escape, an endless game that takes place after the events of The Last Rocket. 

One thing I should bring up before we start. Flip’s Escape is not a sequel to The Last Rocket. In fact, aside from having Flip as the main character, it’s nothing like The Last Rocket. Flip’s Escape is more of a mini-game when compared to it’s predecessor, but that doesn’t’ mean it’s not worth checking out. Rather than go the Kickstarter route, Shaun Inman decided to take 3 weeks, and throw together an endless game to appease fans of The Last Rocket, and let them in on what Flip had to go through after the ending of the game. The money made with Flip’s Escape is all going to help fund Shaun’s next game. It is nowhere near as depthy or content rich as The Last Rocket, but is a great idea when you look at the alternative. 

Now with that out of the way; Flip’s Escape. There’s one mode contained in the game, but there’s quite a bit of drive and plenty of ‘one-more-go’ gameplay. Flip moves left and right automatically at the bottom of the screen. Tapping anywhere causes Flip to stop moving. The goal of the game is to avoid hitting asteroids while collecting the stars that orbit said asteroids and get as far away as you can from the blast lingering behind you. 

Collecting the stars that orbit the asteroids fills up your star meter. Once you’ve collected 6 stars, it’s WARP time! While you’re warping, if you tap the screen as quickly as you can, you’ll build up your warp meter, and travel further distances. Flip also collects gems while he’s warping, which you can use to purchase and upgrade items in the shop. 

In the shop, there are two cheap consumable items which you can use to get a little further in your travels; the Nose Cone Drill, which lets you survive 1 asteroid collision and the Star Magnet, which attracts 5 missed stars. These are stackable, and you’re able to take 3 of each into each game with you. What’s great is that if you die and you haven’t used up all of the magnets yet, they are carried over into your next game. Also available in the shop is the Speed Inhibitor, which reduces your maximum speed, and the Speed Booster, which, you guessed it, increases your minimum speed. These have a pretty big effect on your warp distances, as the Speed Inhibitor will cause you to not travel as far while warping, no matter how quickly tap, and result in not collecting as many gems, and the Speed Booster will make you travel further while warping, resulting in more collected gems. You might be asking, ‘Well then why even include the Speed Inhibitor?’ - well, the game can be pretty difficult, and avoiding asteroids can be a challenge, and slower movement helps with that, which could wind up getting you further in the long run. It really depends on how you feel about the difficulty of the game as to which booster you choose to purchase. 

Also included in the shop are Friends. These friends are fairly costly, but totally worth saving up for. The Fare earns you 1 gem for every 10 lightyears traveled, and when you’re traveling upwards of 10,000 lightyears each game, that really adds up! The Trailer is your other available friend, tripling the amount of consumable storage space, letting you carry up to 9 of each consumable item. The last items are the Hulls. These are the most costly, priced at 200 and 300 thousand gems, they are purely cosmetic, but do give gamers something to play for after all the other items and upgrades have been purchased. 

The graphics and animations are, of course, totally reminiscent of The Last Rocket. If you love the whole retro 8-bit throwback look, you’ll love the graphics. The background animations are also top notch, with stars racing by leaving little streams of light behind them when traveling fast, and those streams of light disappearing when you stop Flip, it definitely adds to the whole feel of the game. The music is also just like TLR’s chiptune tracks, completing the whole retro feel that Shaun Inman has become so incredibly great at creating. 

So; is Flip’s Escape worth checking for $0.99? While it is Universal, and supports GameCenter, with leaderboards for Furthest Distance Traveled, Furthest Distance With Upgrades, Furthest Distance Without Upgrades, Furthest Distance Without a Collision and Furthest Distance Without Warping along with 20 pretty hard to snag achievements, all adding the typical endless replay value all endless games have, there will be people that this just doesn’t click with. After The Last Rocket, Shaun Inman set a bar, not only for himself, but for future puzzle platformer developers to come. Flip’s Escape doesn’t come close to hitting that same bar, which will upset some gamers and fans of The Last Rocket. However, if you look at Flip’s Escape as more of a great, unique, original endless game that you got as a special thank you for helping to contribute to Shaun Inman’s next video game project, chances are, you’ll totally enjoy it. The challenge is crazy, and with some insanely high scores on the leaderboards already, the score-chasing has already hit full throttle. Hardcore gamers looking for a hardcore endless distance gameplay experience will eat Flip’s Escape up. It has the ‘just-one-more-time’ hook perfectly done, and lets fans of The Last Rocket in on what happened to Flip after the end of the game. With Flip’s Escape only taking 3 weeks to complete, I’m totally stoked to find out what Shaun’s been working on, and is continuing to work on. I just hope we don’t have to wait too long to find out.  

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